Originally Posted by
Excargodog
And yet none of the KC-46s yet delivered actually meets any of those requirements,
https://www.defensenews.com/digital-...vision-system/
And the long delayed decision on full rate production has now been delayed ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/money/tops...w6?li=BB12J2Hy
while the competition has been flying now with full capabilities for over a decade:
https://www.time24.news/2020/09/norw...us-tanker.html
By way of comparison, the KC-135 program was started in 1954 based on the Dash-80 that would eventually become the 707.
The first tanker aircraft first flew in 1956, and had initial operational capability in 1957. The KC-46 contract was signed in 2011. It was based on the 767, an aircraft that first flew in 1981 and was FAA certified in 1982.
The KC-46 program has, IMHO, now exceeded the criteria for SNAFU and is closely approaching FUBAR.
Shack. McD-Boeing is a dumpster fire on all fronts, commercial, defense and space. The entire front office should take a ride on a Max being refueled by a KC-46 and IF they arrive, take a ride on the Starliner.